Hey guys,
This is my first post on this forum. First off, I want to say I'm not a complete newbie to forging, I have taken several classes on blacksmithing and knife making at Tillers International in Scotts, MI and have several books on knivemaking and blacksmithing. I built my first forge out of a tire rim fill with cement and that worked alright for a couple of years. However, I'm building a new forge and I could use some help with the design. I recently acquired a patio fireplace from the side of the road that had some kind of fire cement in it that I knocked out. I want to cut a hole for the firepot into it but my question is should I lay some brick down on top of the metal to have a more solid surface and what kind should I use? All hard brick or hard brick with soft brick surrounding the pot?
I also have looked around this forum and a couple others but couldn't really find a straight answer. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
Thanks,
Mike
P.S.- I'm a college student that usually just does this on the weekends and not a whole lot of money